Bloodless Bonds
by WeBuiltThePyramids
Summary: After Red John is killed  shown in flashback  Lisbon must convince Jane that leaving the CBI is not the best next move.  "Don't walk away from the only family you have left."
1. Chapter 1

**This is the first time I took part in the Mentalist Big Bang at Livejournal. Thanks for Autumn for her lovely art and Brit for being my beta.**

**I don't own anything. Sadly.**

_The sun was yelling at them. That's what Jane had said that his daughter used to say, on a day like today when it was hot and sunny and they would sweat just by walking in it. Today, they had driven in it, nearly a hundred miles with no air conditioner, as they chased the man Jane was sure was Red John through the desert into Nevada._

_There had been two men, working together, one confirmed to be Red John – by Jane and Rosalind, the former based on what he said on the tape recorder, and Rosalind by the sound of his voice. The other, similar in looks, was clearly a decoy._

_The problem was, they had no idea which Red John had fled into the desert, and which one had jumped on that train to San Francisco. The surveillance cameras were not helpful. Lisbon and Rigsby had believed that the real Red John was heading to the city, while Jane said no, he just wanted them to think that he was going to where he could easily flee the country. He himself would go to the desert, disappear into another part of America, and then, when the time was right, return to California to continue his torment of Patrick Jane._

"Lisbon? Hey."

Lisbon shifted her gaze from the ceiling, where it had been fixated for God knows how many hours, to the door. "Hey," she said, smiling. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, of course," Jane said, walking over to her bedside. "I actually have to meet someone downtown in a half an hour, but I thought I'd stop by and check on everybody, you know, just because I'm a nice guy like that. How are your hands?"

"They still hurt," Lisbon said. "But the doctors said that I'll have full use of them again soon. They just need some time to heal." She shifted her weight as best as she could. "Has anyone been released yet?"

"Cho will be ready to leave soon, they're giving him one more examination and he's free to go. Van Pelt's expected to leave by night time. Rigsby said he's only supposed to be here another twenty four hours or so. At least that's what he expects, anyway."

Lisbon nodded. "That's good." She tipped her head back again. "I just want to be back to work. It'll be good for us to be busy."

"Ah," Jane said, nodding. "Of course." He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Get well soon, all right? I need to get going."

"Okay," she said, watching him go. As much as she would be hurting right now without the medication, Jane was okay, and the other three had thankfully gone after who had turned out to be the decoy. She never would have been able to forgive herself if her mistake had cost them their lives.

"_Lisbon, I swear to you, the guy we want is not on the train," he had told her. "He's gone into the desert, thinking we won't follow him. He'll want to stay close, not leave the country."_

"_Maybe that's what he wants you to think," Lisbon had suggested._

"_No," Jane had said. "For once I've read him correctly. He's desperate, that's clear, but he wants us to think he's so desperate he wouldn't be able to plan something like this. He had expected we'd close in on him this time, and he's trying to make himself look more desperate than he actually is."_

_So she had agreed to accompany him in this God – awful car while the other three agents drove in air conditioning down to the city._

"_I still say we're chasing the wrong guy," Lisbon said. "We're chasing a doppelganger through the desert in a two hundred degree car while the other three go after Red John in San Francisco."_

"_No," Jane said. "This is him. I'm sure of it." He looked over at her from the passenger seat, his eyes lit up in a way that she'd never seen them. "We're going to get him this time, Lisbon." He turned back to face the front. "I know it."_

__**Sorry if some chapters are pretty short, I'm putting it up here exactly as it was up on Livejournal. :) And I appreciate reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Next chapter! I'm putting this all up at the same time per the challenge rules. Hope you guys are enjoying it! :)**

**I still don't own anything. :)**

"Agent Lisbon."

She raised her head slightly, opening her eyes as the tall, thin man entered the room, smiling. "Agent Kormiloff."

"Agent Lisbon," he said, smiling politely. "How are you feeling?"

"About as well as can be expected, considering I have a concussion and second degree burns on my hands," she said, raising her bandaged appendages and cracking a smile. "What day is it?"

"Thursday," Kormiloff told her. "Mid-morning."

So it was a full day, almost, after Jane had come to visit her. Most, if not all, of her team should be out of the hospital by now. "How is everyone else?"

"They released Agents Cho and Van Pelt last night. Agent Rigsby's under observation for another twenty four hours. You're definitely the most beat up of the bunch." He gave her another smile. "But you're doing well, I hear. Much better than anyone had expected." He nodded. "And you're a hero."

"Oh please," Lisbon said, the kind of clichéd response that Jane would mock her for if he was here.

"You used your body as a barrier to prevent Red John from getting through the door to escape. You beat down a burning all to save yourself and Mister Jane from a death by smoke inhalation," Kormiloff said. "And that was after you and Patrick Jane chased him across the desert. Sounds like a hero to me."

"If any of them had been there they would have done the same thing," Lisbon insisted. "I'm not a hero. I'm just not a coward. I just do my job."

"Which is a lot more than a lot of people in this country do," Kormiloff said dryly. "Listen, there's a reason why I came to talk to you."

"Oh God," Lisbon said. "Please tell me we actually killed him this time."

"No worries about that," he said, chuckling. "Jane's little friend Rosalind ID'd him."

"It'll take more than that to convince Jane," Lisbon said, smiling.

"Oh," Kormiloff said, raising his eyebrows, "Jane is convinced all right."

"Oh really?" Lisbon asked, skeptical. "And how do you know that?"

"Well, for one thing," Kormiloff said, "he's quit the CBI."

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Agent Rigsby," Van Pelt said, extra formally for effect, waltzing into his hospital room with a balloon. Cho followed behind, deadpanning his own hello as the object of their attention looked at them in confusion.<p>

"What's going on?" he said, grinning because that's what he did, not because he had the faintest idea.

"You're being let out of here today," Van Pelt said, semi flirtatiously, handing him the balloon.

"She wanted a party," Cho said. "I told her you wouldn't be into it."

"I wouldn't be into it," Rigsby asked, "or you wouldn't be into it?"

"Mostly me," Cho said. "But she still wanted you to have the balloon. And I have to pick my battles with you people. Not to mention, this room could look a little more cheerful. And that's coming from me."

"Well, thank you Grace," he said taking it and letting the helium filled rubber bump against the ceiling as it came to a halt. "But you two were released too, and you didn't get balloons."

"Actually, we did," Van Pelt said. "Jane sent them. I left some at my house and some at Cho's. Figured we'd give the room a temporary redecoration to make it appear happier."

"When were you at Cho's house?" Rigsby asked.

"Picked me up this morning," Cho said. "Car's not working. Not sure what's wrong with it."

"Ah," Rigsby said. "So I only get one?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Van Pelt said. "I left some in my car. We're taking you home."

"Good," he said. "I'm more than ready to get out of here. Have you seen Lisbon?"

"Yeah," Cho said. "She's okay."

"What about Jane?"

"He's fine," Van Pelt said, nodding. "But Lisbon told us that he quit his job."

Rigsby's eyes widened. "He did?"

"Yes," Cho said. "Didn't even give a two week notice. Just quit."

"What's he going to do?" Rigsby asked, "just sit at home?"

Van Pelt shrugged. "I don't know. Lisbon wants us all to come to your room once your papers are signed."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for excessive italics, I can't think of any other way to do flashbacks. :)**

_The house – if one could call it that; it was more of a barn that appeared to have been lived in at some point – was oddly large for the middle of the desert, and oddly old fashioned, with an outhouse just to the left of it and a fire pit outside. It seemed very out of place to Lisbon, but when she turned to Jane, his posture and expression were unlike anything she had ever seen. He'd never been more sure that this was it. This is where it all would end._

"_Jane," Lisbon said quietly, "Jane."_

"_Hmm?" He spoke like she had jolted him from a dream._

"_Listen to me," she said. "I know what you want. I'm not even beyond letting you kill him if we get the chance. But we have to be careful first. One wrong move and you could be dead."_

"_I will die to avenge my family," Jane said. "I've always been prepared for that."_

_Lisbon didn't like that comment any more than she ever had before. "Jane, listen to me," she said, suddenly realizing that she had a different approach. "Whenever you go and pull a crazy stunt you never tell me because you want me to have deniability."_

"_Yes," Jane said. "Of course. This is my fight. You shouldn't lose your job over it."_

"_And if you do something stupid today," Lisbon said, putting the car in park, "I could lose my life over it. If you were wrong about which Red John is the real one…"_

"_I'm not."_

"…_then Rigsby, Van Pelt, or Cho could be killed. It's important you act smart. Okay?"_

"_I've killed leads to Red John for you before," he reminded her. "I would never let one of you be killed for my own revenge."_

"_Don't try to get me to let you do this your way by playing the I'm Protective Card," Lisbon warned._

_Jane looked at her for a moment, and then nodded. "Understood, ma'am."_

_She smiled at him. "Good." Opening the door, she grabbed her gun and swung her legs outside of the car. "Let's go get him."_

"Hey boss," Rigsby said, leading the way into their boss' hospital room.

Lisbon was sitting up a portable DVD player resting on her upper legs, some unintelligible conversation barely reaching her team's ears. Raising a bandaged hand, she used her lower arm to close the player, and then looked up and smiled at them. Seeing her team would be a lot better for her mind then trying to distract herself from replaying that day in her head with the stupid DVD. "Hey guys. Rigsby. How are you feeling?"

"I assume a lot better than you," he said. "How you doing?"

"Okay," she said. "You hear about Jane?"

"Yeah," Rigsby said, looking at the floor.

"We tried to call him," Van Pelt said. "He won't answer his phone."

Lisbon shook her head. "I had a feeling that this would happen." At her team's questioning looks, she went on. "His reason for being here was to kill Red John. It was the only thing driving him. I always had a feeling that…that once we got Red John, and Jane had his revenge, he'd just be done." She shrugged slightly, ignoring the dull ache in her shoulders. She wasn't injured there; she was simply sore.

"So, what?" Van Pelt asked. "He's not going to work with us anymore? What's he going to do? Just sit at home?"

Rigsby raised a questioning eyebrow at her, and she shrugged. "But seriously," Rigsby said. "What's he going to do? Red John was what kept him going. Is he just going to…he's not going to _kill_ himself, is he?"

Lisbon sighed. "I don't know. I don't think so. I don't think he would. But…" she shook her head. "Go to his house. Make sure he's not going to do anything stupid. I can't leave this place just yet."

* * *

><p>"<em>Jane," Lisbon said warningly. "Jane, stay behind me." She jogged a step forward, putting herself between the house – which really was more of a barn, if she thought about it – and the consultant and glaring at him just as her phone rang. "I smell gasoline," she shouted ahead to Jane. "Be careful."<em>

"_Boss," came the voice on the other end of the line. "This isn't the real Red John."_

"_Cho?" Lisbon said. His voice sounded funny. "Are you okay?"_

_The phone signal was breaking up, and she only heard stray words as Cho continued on. "…security…Van Pelt…shots…"_

"_What?" Lisbon put a hand over her other ear as if it would help the reception. "Is Van Pelt okay?"_

_She heard a loud noise from behind her. And that was when everything had gone black._

Lisbon jolted out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of a door slamming shut. "Sorry," said the nurse. "I didn't mean to scare you. But it's your first night not to be on sleeping drugs, so before it gets too late, I'm going to take these couple I.V.s out of your room."

"Okay," Lisbon said. "Thank you." She was actually glad that the nurse had interrupted her thoughts. She didn't want to think about the next part. "Did the doctor say when I'd be released? He wouldn't tell me."

"He told you," the nurse said, smiling. "Two days, if all goes well. But you'll need to watch those hands. You can't work for week, and that's at the very least."

"I need to work," Lisbon said, closing her eyes.

"Right now, you just need to rest," said the nurse, wheeling the I.V. carts away. "Don't think about anything else."

**Review, por favor?**


	4. Chapter 4

Lisbon opened her eyes to find herself in a dimly lit room, a basement of some sort. No, not a basement; light came in through the cracks in the poorly made walls. She tried to move and found her hands bound behind her back; if the state of her ankles were any consideration, her hands were bound by thick, dirty rope. There was something made of cloth in her mouth, and it tasted bad.

She struggled against the knots, which were fairly loosely tied. But before she could make any progress, she realized that she was not alone.

"Agent Lisbon," came a voice a moment before the shadow of a man came into her line of vision. The next instant, her head was pulled back and a knife pressed against her throat. "Your precious Patrick Jane has said that he'd let me go to let you live. But will he really, when he is faced with what I'm about to offer him?" She felt breath against her ear. "We'll see, won't we?"

"Teresa,_ Teresa_!"

Lisbon was awake for several seconds before she realized that it had been a dream, a flashback, and when she came to this realization, a long, shaky breath escaped her.

Her nurses were standing above her, one holding her left arm down, and the other re bandaging her right wrist. "You're still in the hospital. You had a night terror," said the taller one, finishing the bandage job and stepping back. "It's your first night without the drugs, it's not totally unexpected."

Lisbon realized she must have asked where she was and what happened. "Oh God," she whispered. "I need to get out of here."

"In time," said the shorter nurse. "We'll give you a small something to help you sleep."

"Will that happen again?" she asked, not wanting to sound weak, but at the same time she'd do anything to not relive that part of the day. She was thankful that the drugs in this place were kept under close surveillance.

"Possibly," said the nurse, "but if we help you sleep, you may avoid them until you're feeling a bit better."

Lisbon lay still while they hooked her up to the medication. She craved natural sleep, but at this point it was better than suffering through those hours again.

* * *

><p>"That was a useless hour of our lives," Rigsby complained as they exited the Jane house the following morning.<p>

"Not really," Van Pelt said. "He's not suicidal. He just feels like he needs to take some time off."

"He said he was going to Europe," Cho said. "He didn't say he was taking a vacation."

"He needs distance from all of this in order to really start over," Rigsby said. "And it's not like we really had an argument for him to stay. His sole reason for being here in the first place was to kill Red John."

"I know," Van Pelt said quietly. "But I thought we were more important to him than that."

* * *

><p>"Is this really necessary?" Lisbon asked. "I'm fine."<p>

"You've woken up the past two nights after vivid dreams about your experience in the desert house," said the therapist, who Lisbon thought she remembered being introduced as Joan. "Doctor says you can leave after you talk to me."

"Fine," Lisbon said, adjusting her position on the bed.

"You spent a half an hour tied up and gagged and in Red John's presence," Joan said. "Can you talk a little about it. How did you feel?"

She shifted her weight. She never believed in therapy; she was uncomfortable sharing her emotions with anyone, but she knew that if Joan didn't believe she was being honest, they'd never release her. And she had to find out what was going on with Jane. "I was terrified."

"That's understandable," Joan said. "You had a knife to your throat, yes?"

She nodded. "He did hold a knife to me, yes."

"And what did he say?"

"_Your precious Patrick Jane has said that he'd let me go to let you live. But will he really, when he is faced with what I'm about to offer him?" She felt breath against her ear, and she twitched in disgust. "When he has the real option of killing me? I am Red John."_

"_Jane won't let me die," Lisbon said before she could help it. Giving Red John an opinion would only add to whatever edge he had. Considering he had the CBI's best team's senior agent tied up – albeit rather poorly – with a knife to her throat, Red John certainly did hold the edge. _

"_We'll see, won't we?"_

_Lisbon's body was tense with fear; she wasn't sure she could bend her arms right now if she tried; her body was locked up, and her inability to move meant she was lacking the control over herself that she took pride in. She knew, and she had told Jane, that her job was to be in harm's way. But this was Red John, a serial killer, the mastermind of the torture of Patrick Jane for the past decade._

_But she could speak, at least, and she began the "talking down" tactic that had worked for her in the past. She knew Red John would never fall for it. But she didn't know what else to do. "So you're the famous Red John."_

"_Surprised?" he asked, walking around her and smiling._

"_Take off your mask," Lisbon said, wanting to see what this man looked like in the flesh._

"_Are you telling me what to do?" He held the knife out, so the tip rested against her chest._

"_No." Lisbon said._

"_We'll have a few minutes before Mister Jane has finished his own creeping about the house and realizes you're missing," Red John said. "Care to say anything to me before he finds us?"_

_Lisbon felt anger and fear rising up inside of her. She'd never beg for her life, not from this scumbag, and the fact that he wanted her to made her nearly enraged for some reason. But the fact, the slow realization that was almost fully upon her now, that this was indeed the real Red John, the serial killer, who now held her captive, was beginning to paralyze her with fear. _

_Would he kill her like the others, or would he manage to drag her death out more? Would he kill her in front of Jane? Would he have to watch her die like that psychopath woman had wanted, years before, when she'd tried to set the building they were in on fire? Or would Jane walk into a room, see the smiley face, and be filled with that dread that accompanied the moment before one saw the body, and what would he do when he saw that the woman he'd worked beside all these years was the one who had died at the hands of the man who'd murdered his wife and daughter?_

"_No," she said. "I have nothing to say to you."_

"_Well, that's all as well," said Red John. "It appears that our friend is already approaching."_


	5. Chapter 5

**I feel like I need an author's note for every chapter, but when I update all at once, it's hard! Haha hope you're still enjoying the fic.**

"So you were more afraid of what Jane would do than for your own life?"

Lisbon, after a moment of silence, realized that Joan had spoken. "What? Oh," she said after the question had been repeated. "I guess maybe a little bit. I was afraid for myself, of course, but I always knew that there was a really good chance that I could die at the hands of Red John. It never really scared me, because it was never, oh, what's the word…imminent. But it was always in the back of my mind, I'd get fired because of Jane, or I'd be killed by Red John. And it was better me than one of the other agents."

"Why do you say that?" Joan asked.

"Why does it matter?" Lisbon asked.

Joan cocked her head. "May I move to another question and ask why this one has bothered you more than the others?"

"I just don't like therapists," Lisbon said. "No offense. One of my previous ones tried to frame me for murder."

"I understand," Joan said, nodding slowly, "but if you want to get out of here, you need to talk to me. Agent Kormiloff's orders.

Lisbon sighed. "Why was it better it happen to me than one of them?" she shrugged. "I was the one who signed on with Jane. Van Pelt wasn't even around yet; she showed up around the same time, and Cho and Rigsby didn't have any say in the matter. And with Jane came the need to hunt Red John. It was the tradeoff."

"You know," Joan said, "any team member could have requested a transfer at any time. They always stayed under your supervision; clearly they were prepared to die, too."

"They weren't even there," Lisbon said. "I had just gotten a call from Cho, I didn't know if they were okay or hurt or even one of them killed. So yes, I was scared, but it wasn't all fear for myself."

"_Lisbon?" _

_Lisbon tensed when she heard his voice echoing. He was close, maybe twenty feet away, and in a matter of seconds he'd appear in the doorway to see her tied, held at knifepoint, the murderer of his wife and child holding her life in his hands._

"_Call out to him," Red John instructed her._

_Lisbon shook her head. "No."_

_Instantly the knife was back against her throat. "_Call out _to him!"_

"_I won't let him see me die," Lisbon said._

"_How do you know that that's what I want?" Red John said._

"_Because you'd have killed me already."_

"_If you don't call out to him," Red John said, "I will harm you in a way that will leave you dying. It will be unstoppable, but it will take several minutes. I'll make sure Jane is here when you draw your last breath."_

_Lisbon saw he was serious, and she swallowed hard. "Jane!" she shouted, trying to put as much fear as possible into her voice. He'd understand her tone. He'd be prepared when he entered the room._

"_Lisbon?" His head appeared slowly in the doorway. She could see by the subtle change in his eyes his horror, and momentarily congratulated herself for making such a small observation. His eyes moved from her to the man holding her captive, and then back to Lisbon. "Did he hurt you?"_

_She shook her head, aware how wild – eyed she must look. "No," she said, terrified of her own voice._

"_What is the matter with you?" Jane said. "You've got a perfectly good woman terrorized. She has nothing to do with our little situation."_

"_Patrick Jane." Her captor spoke._

"_Roy Taliaferro."_

"_Nice to finally make your acquaintance."_

"_I wish I could say likewise, you sick bastard."_

"_I'm a man of very few words," Red John said. "So I'm going to ignore that comment and just get right to it."_

"_No," Jane said. "You're not going to get right to anything. We have backup."_

"_No you don't," Red John said. "They're chasing after poor Shawn Lincoln in San Francisco. I knew you two would come here. It's exactly what I wanted."_

"_Why?" Jane asked, and Lisbon felt her fear heighten as she saw Jane falter slightly. "Why, why, why would you want just us? You took out all of Agent Bosco's team. Why just us?"_

"_Because this isn't the end," Red John said. "You're not going to die here today."_

"_As relieved as I am," Jane said, gesturing to the woman on the ground, "I have to ask. What about Lisbon?"_

"_Oh," Red John said, twirling the knife just inches from Lisbon's throat._

"_You let her go," Jane said. "Let her go and you can kill me."_

"_I'm not a fool," said Red John. "She'd be waiting to kill me when I went for you. You should not underestimate my intelligence. Not now."_

"_Then what do you want?" Jane asked. "Is she going to die?"_

"_Well," Red John said, repositioning the knife again. "that, my lovely friend, is entirely up to you."_

"I suppose that's when he made the deal," Joan prompted gently.

"Yes," Lisbon said. "He had taken my gun and put it on the floor by the threshold of the door. Jane didn't notice it upon coming in. Red John said that Jane could take the gun and shoot him, but his last motion would be to cut my throat. Or, Jane could slide the gun to where he could reach it, and Red John would leave, and leave me with Jane."

"How did Jane know he wasn't going to take the gun and shoot you both?"

"Because Red John loved toying with Jane. If he killed Jane, his toy would be gone – very much like a game of cat and mouse. If he killed me or the rest of my team, he wouldn't have any leverage against Jane. Nothing would stop Jane from killing him if he was ever in the position again, because without us, he was just himself. And Red John's accomplices were all dead or in maximum security facilities. He needed time to regroup, and this was his way of doing so. One day, of course, he'd be ready to end the game and would kill us. But Jane had a feeling that he wasn't there yet, and Jane is usually right."

"I imagine that you were terrified at that deal."

Lisbon looked at her hands. "It doesn't matter. It's okay now." Joan raised an eyebrow. "I was confused, to be honest. He had a chance to kill me and get away, and he had to have known that there was a chance that Jane and I could overpower him. I guess he was just that confidant that he could get away. I'd always told Jane that one day, either he or Red John would get overconfident and that would be their downfall. Jane had me to keep him in perspective. I guess Red John finally overestimated himself. And we got him."

Joan looked at her for a long moment, and then nodded. "Okay. I'm satisfied."

Lisbon looked up. "Really?"

"Yes," Joan said. "You can go."

Lisbon cocked her head. Working with Jane so long had made her suspicious that the therapist was ending the session so abruptly. "Really?"

"Or you could stay."

"No!" Lisbon jumped up, wincing from her injuries. "No, thank you, ma'am."


	6. Chapter 6

**And another author's note...this chapter, fun fact, took me the longest to write. :)**

Lisbon didn't know what Patrick Jane she was going to see when she visited his house. The smiling, happy Patrick Jane, finally avenged? The preoccupied-but-hiding-it Patrick Jane? Or the man she'd seen only on occasion, the broken, desperate Patrick Jane?

The Jane that opened the door was a Jane that Lisbon hadn't really seen before. He appeared fairly well rested, smiling, but somehow guarded at the same time. "Teresa," he said, smiling. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Why'd you quit the unit?"

"Jumping right in," Jane said, standing back to she could enter the house. "How very Lisbon. I see that you are feeling a bit better. Can I make you some tea?"

"No, thank you," she said, going to the couch. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Of course," he said, sitting down next to her. She stared down at her hands, aware that Jane was cocking his head and leaning down slightly, trying to see her face. "We did it, Lisbon."

She looked up and him and smiled. "We did, didn't we?" She thought she may have been a bit too confrontational with him when he'd opened the door. It was, after all, the first time they'd seen each other since she'd found out that he was leaving. Suddenly, he not visiting her later in the hospital made sense. He didn't want to talk about the fact that he was leaving the CBI. Whether it was so she could worry about getting well, or because he didn't want to be bothered arguing with her she didn't know, but at this point she didn't really care. She just wanted to get back in the comfort zone with him, that place where they had each other's backs and could actually talk. And she couldn't get there accusing him of being a quitter. She put her hand on the space between them. "We got Red John. How does that feel?" She smiled.

Jane smiled back. "We got him." He looked away from her and out in front of him, at nothing. "And we made sure he'll never harm someone again." He dropped his head. "We got him."

_After Jane heard the deal, Lisbon saw him set his jaw. "I won't…I can't…" he muttered, barely audible. he clenched his fists at his sides._

"_You have two minutes," said Red John. "Or she dies." He put the knife to Lisbon's throat and she let out a cry of fear, embarrassed a moment later for exhibiting such weakness. But part of her wasn't worrying about how strong she looked. That part of her was terrified as to what Jane would do. _

_She knew that Jane was much closer with her than any other living soul, but the tradeoff for her life was letting the man who murdered his family get away. And Lisbon also knew that his entire reason for living was to make sure that Red John paid for what he did. _

_What she didn't know was if his loyalty to her was stronger than his need for revenge, and if that loyalty would hold over when he actually had the opportunity to end Red John's life. Red John could have killed her and disappeared, leaving her body for Jane to find. He could have kidnapped her, leaving the team distraught not knowing where she was or if she was alive or dead. He could have simply vanished, leaving Jane frustrated that he had led them on this chase only for the trail to go cold again. But he didn't. He had put himself, the person who was responsible for killing those in Jane's life who he loved the most, and the woman who was the most important living person in Jane's life on a "same fate" level. The knife was against Lisbon's throat; she was sure another knife was turning in Jane's chest._

_But her uncertainty was terrifying her even more than the prospect of her throat being slit. Wiggling her wrists slightly, slowly working the rope that bound her hands, she waited. Waited for her fate to be decided. She could see the conflict in Jane's eyes. Part of her wanted to say that it was okay, to shoot Red John and let her be a casualty of this war that had tormented him for more than a decade. Lord knew that he deserved to have some sort of peace, even if it was at the expense of her life. But another part of her remembered all the times they'd gotten out of bad situations before, and she didn't want to give up hope that they could do it once again._

"_Yes," Red John said, smiling as Jane's lower lip trembled. Lisbon closed her eyes momentarily, running through the Hail Mary in her head. "Yes." Red John's sinister voice jolted her out of her prayer. "Patrick Jane. How I enjoy seeing you cry."_

_Jane lifted his head and looked Red John in the eye. Then he looked at Lisbon. "This was never your battle, Lisbon," he said. "It was mine." He turned his head to the side and looked at the floor again._

_Behind her, Lisbon felt Red John's grip on her neck and back shift slightly as he leaned to one side, she presumed to better see Jane's tears. She hated that the monster who held a knife near her throat wanted to see Jane's tears._

_And suddenly, she realized what Jane was doing._

"_This was never your battle, Lisbon," he had told her, his way of telling her, subtly, that he was not going to let her die. His shift of weight had made Red John shift his, too, in his attempt to see the tears of the man that he relished torturing, in turn shifting the position of the knife ever so slightly and putting him slightly off balance. It was barely noticeable, but Lisbon, who had spent years in the presence of a man who was able to notice the slightest difference in position or behavior, had learned a few things in that time._

_Suddenly, Lisbon found herself able to move, and she threw her weight back, knocking Red John off of his feet while yanking her hands free at the same time. His knife slashed wildly, tearing into Lisbon's shoulder, and she cried out again._

_Jane had whirled around and grabbed the gun, pointing it toward the struggling duo as Lisbon and Red John fought for possession of the knife. "Back away from her!" Jane shouted. "Or I'll shoot."_

"Did I ever thank you?" Lisbon asked, still staring straight ahead.

"For me cleverly figuring out a way to save your life while still getting Red John?" Jane asked. He pretended to think for a moment. "Nah."

Lisbon nodded. "Well, thank you." She looked over at him again. "I mean it."

"Good," Jane said. "Nice to know people are grateful when I use my keen brain to benefit their lives. It's quite selfless of me, actually."

She shook her head slowly. "Shut up."

He smiled at her. Then, as quickly as it had come his smile was gone again. "I heard you were having some…night terrors, for lack of another phrase."

She nodded. "Can we not talk about that? It's embarrassing."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed of," Jane said. "That fight was…it was terrifying."


	7. Chapter 7

**Obligatory author's note... :P**

"_Back away from her!" Jane shouted. "Or I'll shoot."_

"_No," Red John said pinning Lisbon to the ground and fighting to get the knife away from her. "You won't shoot. You won't risk hitting her. If I move, you'll kill me. Give me the knife, bitch!" he shouted, bringing his fist down on Lisbon's neck. She was lying on it, and Lisbon struggled to prevent Red John from rolling her over and revealing it, despite the throbbing pain coming from her head, neck, and shoulder. "Jane!" she shouted, unsure of what he could do. Her hands were busy flailing backward, trying to knock Red John's weight off again. If she held the knife, he could pry it away from her. Lying on it was the only way to keep him from possessing it. Her thoughts briefly went to her niece, and she wondered how she could possibly want this life – how these life or death situations, while rarer than Anna might think – were what excited her about it. But Lisbon couldn't judge Tommy's daughter for it – she herself had taken this job, knowing full well that this could happen one day. Taking on Jane only added to it._

_Jane moved toward the struggling man and woman and clubbed Red John over the head. Lisbon tensed as his inexperience with firearms caused the weapon to fire, driving a hole in the wall three feet above her head. In response, Red John threw his arm back into Jane, pushing Lisbon's head back down into the cement. Groaning, she saw Jane in her peripheral vision. He was no fighter. He had no experience in it. But this was Red John. This was the murderer he was looking for._

_Red John gave up on Lisbon and turned to Jane delivering a solid punch to the consultant's nose. Staggering backward, Jane tripped and fell. Red John whirled to defect a blow from Lisbon, who had thrown herself over to them in an attempt to rescue Jane. "You will never get out of this place," he told her, eyeing her bleeding shoulder. "You are wounded. Let me go, and I will hurt you no further."_

"_You can't hurt us," Lisbon said. "Jane has the gun. I have the knife."_

"_And I," Red John said, "have the flame." He pulled a match out of his pocket, lit it under his fingernail, and threw it into a corner of the room before Jane or Lisbon could react. Instantly, that section of the building was going in flames, the dry, brittle wood taking, fueling the fire. That side of the building was the driest, the most fragile, but it wouldn't take too long. "Save yourselves," he said. "Or try to kill me, and chance you dying while I get away."_

"_That's a chance I'm willing to take," Lisbon said, thrusting her arm forward and plunging the knife into Red John's side._

_He'd moved at her motion, and it inflicted an injury not much worse than Lisbon's, but it was enough to stall him while Jane got up. "You sick son of a bitch," he said, swinging his leg around with an agility that Lisbon didn't know he had, the blow hitting Red John right in the knees. "You're out of accomplices," Jane said. "Your time of torturing me has ended. I will avenge my family."_

_Red John staggered, appearing to fall to the floor. "The knife, Lisbon," Jane said, holding out his hand._

_Lisbon hesitated. Was it right to allow Jane to cut Red John open and watch him die? She had no idea, but she could feel her hand start to extend to hand him the weapon. So here, now, in a burning barn, is where it all would end._

_But Lisbon's moment of hesitance was enough for the killer. In a flash, he was up on his feet, making a break for the door. In the smoky haze that was beginning to fill the room, the door was hard to see, and he smashed into the wall a foot to the right, staggering backward.._

_Jane and Lisbon sprang into action. Jane grabbed the knife Lisbon had dropped, and she threw herself in front of the door, bracing herself in the threshold. The metal frame was hot and she groaned as she felt the skin on her flesh protest the heat. Red John's body slammed into hers, and they fell to the ground. Lisbon drove her knee into his groin, and he flinched, enough movement to show Jane precisely where they were. In a flash he was there, driving the butt of the gun toward Red John's skull. The killer deflected the blows several times, and Lisbon, in an attempt to help, reached a hand out and grabbed the knife. Jane, not realizing who was attempting to take the weapon, tried to yank it back. Upon trying to pry her hand off of the handle, he realized that it was Lisbon and not his nemesis and let her have it; Lisbon dug it into Red John's shoulder and twisted while Jane hit him on the head again, appearing to realize when Lisbon leaned her head back to not get hit that she was too close to his target to continue. So he grabbed the man by his collar, tossed him a few feet, and continued clubbing, but Red John's hands were still able to defect some of the blows._

_Lisbon struggled to her feet. "Shoot him, Jane! End it! Right here, right now!"_

Jane reached out to touch her shoulder, whether to bring her back out of her thoughts or to examine her stab wound, Lisbon didn't know. Either way, she appreciated it. "This appears much better."

"Yeah," she said. "And my hands are healing well. I can go back to the office day after tomorrow, and the field again in a week or so. Cho's been in charge these past few days." She gave a little laugh. "He's good. I was afraid to put him in charge in the fear of him being given his own team, when what I want is for him to keep working for me." She laughed. "I'm selfish like that. I'll probably have to let him go soon, if he wants to go."

Jane laughed slightly. "Lisbon, you're the farthest thing from selfish. When we were in that house, I'd inhaled a lot more smoke than you. You could have made it to the front door, and you risked losing your hands to make sure I made it out. That's not selfish. That's heroic."

_Lisbon struggled to her feet. "Shoot him, Jane! End it! Right here, right now!"_

_He turned to her. "Is that an order?"_

"_Yes!" The building was on fire, she was wounded, he was wounded. It was time for this to be over, and if they didn't do it now, Red John would never be caught. They were out of tricks, at the last of their resources, and if they didn't push through and just finish him off, they would never win. This was their chance. _

_Jane stepped back, pointed the gun at Red John's head, and fired. Once. Twice. Three times. Red John jerked with the first shot, and then was still._

_It was over._

_They stared at the body for a moment; a burning beam crashing to the ground behind them jolted Jane and Lisbon back to the present. "Jane!" Lisbon said. "We need to go."_

_For once, the consultant wasn't arguing. He kicked the body in disgust, and ran toward her, holding out his hand. Lisbon grabbed it and they raced through the door to the main area of the barn. "Where's the exit?" She asked coughing slightly. She blinked a few times to get her bearings, holding a hand over her mouth as her burning eyes searched for light._

_Jane shook his head, letting go of her hand and putting both his palms on his knees bending over and coughing. "No, Jane!" She looked toward the nearest wall, and felt the burning on her hands from where they had already blistered. And she decided that their lives were more important. She ran to the wall and pushed, feeling her hands burn and not really caring. The wall shuddered, it was old and the fire had weakened it. Lisbon backed up and rammed her shoulder, the uninjured one, into it, and she felt something in the wood crack. She looked back behind her. "Jane!" She could barely see him. Turning back to the wall, she pushed against it again, and almost fell through when a section of it broke free and crashed to the ground, flames jumping up. "Jane!"_

_He came up next to her and rammed his shoulder into the same section of the wall that Lisbon was focusing on, and it another section came down. Upon seeing daylight, she and Jane plowed through what remained of the wall and stumbled outside._

"I don't see how doing one's job is considered so heroic," Lisbon said. "And you helped me."

"Yeah, we're a team all right," Jane said, looking away. She wondered why his tone had a hint of sarcasm in it. She felt stupid when she remembered that he technically wasn't a part of their team anymore.

"Exactly," Lisbon said. "And in all honesty? This hero talk makes me uncomfortable. No one understands that I'm just doing my job."

Jane's words reminded her of Kormiloff's. "It is different when… when you do it better than the majority of the country." He smiled. "I've hardly ever met someone so devoted to their career. It's an admirable trait, Lisbon, you have got to know that."

"I need my job," she said slowly, sensing it was time to ease her meaning for coming here back into their discussion. Talks of her own bravery always made her uncomfortable, anyway. "Because I don't have anything else." She looked down again. Jane was the best when it came to reading people, and he had to know that, even if he detected that she was trying to convince him to return to the CBI, she was serious about what she was saying. "My parents are dead. I have an amicable relationship, at best, with my brothers. If I don't have the team, I have nothing. And I guess that's why I'm willing to die for any one of you, because without you guys…" she paused to awkwardly wipe a tear from her eyes. "I don't know what the hell I'd do."

"Eh," Jane said. "You would find something, I'm sure."

"Jane," Lisbon said, "you know that I know that you resigned."

Jane shrugged. "Okay."

"Jane!" She shook her head again. "What about when you said you have nothing else to do?" she asked him, "back when you quit after that incident with Red John's sheriff accomplice. You came back because you have nothing else to do, and nowhere to go."

"Nothing else to do aside from hunt Red John." Jane shrugged. "And it's over now. I finally have my revenge."

"And this team," Lisbon said slowly, "we devoted ourselves to it. We worked our asses off for years trying to find this guy. He'd be just another killer to us, notorious, sure, but we risked our jobs time and time again to hunt him and it was for you. We helped you get your revenge. Don't you want to keep helping bring justice to other families? When you work with us we have the highest clearance rate in the state."

"You had that before me, too," Jane reminded her.

"It's even higher now," Lisbon said. "And work aside, we need you. All of us."

Jane took in a breath and let it out, and Lisbon glared at him. She didn't know if he was taking her seriously or not, but he was about to. "Your family is dead, Jane. Nothing's bringing them back. You killed Red John, and quite frankly, I'm glad the bastard's rotting in hell. But you're never going to be with your family again on this earth."

"I know that," Jane said quietly.

"So while you're here," Lisbon said, "you're never going to find people that care half as much for you as we do at CBI. No one else will be as loyal. No one else has your back like we do. And you've risked a lot to protect us over the years. Are you going to walk away from us?" She stood up. "It's a symbiotic relationship, Jane. Or at least we all think it is. Rigsby, Van Pelt, Cho, we all want you back. We're _family._ You know that. We've had this discussion before. Don't walk away from the only family you have left."


	8. Chapter 8

**I actually dreamed part of this fic, it was my initial inspiration for writing it.**

When she left, Jane stared at the door she had vanished through for a long time. The family that she said they were, down at the CBI, was not the same kind of family he had lost to Red John. They were not his blood. They were not his "one". Part of him resented Lisbon for making those claims, but part of him couldn't be angry with her. Because he knew that she had not intended to compare the team to his wife and daughter. There were different kinds of family, just as there were different kinds of love.

Apples and oranges were very different from one another. But they were both fruit. And they were both very, very good.

_Lisbon, the adrenaline leaving her body, began to become aware of all the places she was hurt. Her shoulders killed, her neck ached, and her hands were probably going to be inoperable for a while. And she was exhausted. She glanced warily back at the building and determined that she was far enough away from it to collapse. So she let her legs give out and fell to the sand._

_Jane dropped down next to her. "Lisbon."_

"_I'm okay." It was her default response. She rolled onto her side, trying to relieve the pain in her shoulder, but it was no use. Both shoulders were hurt. Her hands were curled in front of her. "Are you okay?" she managed._

"_Yeah," Jane said, looking worried. "I'm fine. Come here." She felt his hands on her upper arm and her opposite side, drawing her up so he could hold her. "It's gonna be okay."_

"_Jane, I'm _fine_," she said, raising her arm to put her wrist against her knife wound. How she wished her hands were okay right now. She wanted to force herself out of his arms, but the largest part of her felt too weak and tired to want to move. Jane wasn't holding her to appear more in control. He'd just shot his family's killer, both of them were injured, and they had stood a very real chance of dying that day. He was probably trying to assure himself that they were both okay. She sighed resignedly. "I'm not going to lie," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "I didn't know how you'd respond to Red John's deal."_

"_I told you before," he said. "I'm always going to save you, Lisbon. No matter what."_

"_Phone," she whispered._

"_What?"_

"_Call the others. See if they're okay."_

"_They're fine," Jane said. "They called me while I was checking out the house, it was why I didn't find you earlier. Minor injuries. Certainly not anything like you have." He let her go and rose to his feet, stepping around her and kneeling back down so she could see his face. "They're on their way," he said. "We just have to hang on."_

"_We can drive back," she moaned._

_Jane shook his head. "He drained our gasoline. And reception is spotty at best."_

"_Oh, God," Lisbon said. "The son of a bitch."_

"_It's going to be fine," Jane said. "The bleeding has nearly stopped. We just need to hang on for fifteen minutes or so, can you do that for me?"_

_Lisbon pulled herself into a sitting position. "I just need rest."_

"_I know," he said, shifting his weight again so he was sitting beside her. "How's the shoulder?"_

"_I won't lie," she said. "It hurts." She looked down at her hands. "These are the worst, though."_

_Jane reached for her wrist and studied the burns. "They're probably only mild second degree. That's good."_

"_Yeah, that's what I thought, too," Lisbon said, sucking in the precious air. She could taste a bit of smoke on her tongue, residual from the barn, which had nearly burnt to the ground. And she could hear her own breathing, gasps, really, as she tried to mask the pain and take in enough air. And then she heard something else, too. She cocked her head. "Do you hear something?"_

_Jane craned his neck around. "It's help," he said, waving. Two cars and an ambulance flew up the driveway and came to a screeching halt. The doors of the first car flew open and Van Pelt and Cho jumped out. Cho had a brace on his wrist and Van Pelt a bandage on her head. "Boss," the latter said, dropping to her knees. "What happened?"_

_Lisbon was beginning to feel dizzy. "We got Red John," she managed. "Why didn't you get medical attention?"_

"_We're all going now," Cho said. "Rigsby's hurt the worst of us, so he's already there, but he'll be okay." Cho turned to see the medics moving toward them. "You're going to be okay too, boss," he said, deadpan as usual. _

"_Uh-huh," Lisbon said weakly._

"_Boss," Van Pelt said, "just breathe, okay?"_

"_The adrenaline is wearing off," Cho said. "And she's got some blood loss. Probably not too dangerous."_

"_It feels dangerous," Lisbon said in an attempt to joke._

"_You're gonna be okay," Van Pelt said, glancing behind her at the medics approaching them._

"_Are you okay?" Cho asked, raising his eyes to Jane._

_The mentalist nodded. "Yes," he said, nodding. "More okay than I've been in years."_

__**One more chapter! Oh, and other fun fact, I didn't know Jane's name for almost a full season, I kept forgetting, my sister and I just called him "the mentalist." :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**And the final chapter! Thanks again to my artist and beta, and to all of those who take the time to review each chapter, I really appreciate it and respect you as a reviewer. :) Sorry it's short, it's more of a quick wrap up than anything else. :)**

"Welcome back, Boss," Cho said the following morning, holding out his hand for Lisbon to shake. She reached out a bandaged limb, and carefully accepted the welcome. "Good to see you, Cho."

"Boss!" Rigsby said from his desk, grinning that grin that made him appear so much younger than he actually was. "How's your hands?"

"A lot better Rigs, thanks," she said, smiling. "You cleaned your desk."

He shrugged. "Eh, you know. I was bored."

"Kormiloff made him," Cho said.

Rigsby threw his hands up. "Dude."

"What? It's the truth." Cho shrugged. "And if you were trying to be funny or clever by your lie it didn't work."

Lisbon had seen her team only a few days before, but for some reason being back in the CBI, among their casual, natural banter, made her feel a lot better – she'd been feeling rather down since she'd left Jane's the previous day. She'd always considered the five of them to be a family – none were incredibly close with any living family members – but saying it all to Jane, laying it all out on the line, made her realize just how true her words were. And she knew that, on some level, each of them felt that way. That just made Jane's leaving worse. She stretched her fingers as far as they would go. A lot of things would take time to heal.

Van Pelt entered the office space, and a smile lit up her face when she saw Lisbon there. "Boss," she said happily, coming toward her boss and giving her a hug.

"Oh," Lisbon said in surprise, awkwardly trying to put her sore arms around the youngest team member. Despite the fact that Van Pelt's affection for her senior team member had always been clear, displays of affection in general made Lisbon uncomfortable when she wasn't expecting them. Lisbon decided that this particular one she should have expected.

"Oh," Van Pelt repeated, backing up a step at her boss' exclamation. "Did that hurt you?"

Lisbon smiled. "No, Grace, it's okay." Van Pelt stood their awkwardly for another moment, so Lisbon restarted the hug to break the tension. "I'm so glad you're back," Van Pelt told her.

Lisbon smiled. "Me too." They broke apart and Lisbon looked to Cho. "Are we working on anything?"

"Double homicide, came in this morning. We're leaving in a few minutes to go and talk to the widow of one of the victims." He gestured to her office. "I never put my stuff in there, so it's all yours."

"Okay." She nodded. "Van Pelt, you can explain the details to me in the car. Now we're a man down, so everyone is going to have to…what?" She looked around at the team, all of whom appeared to be trying not to smile. "What?"

Behind Van Pelt's head, she saw movement on the old couch, a blonde head lifting up from a lying position into sitting. Her jaw dropped slightly in the moment before it aided the rest of her face in a smile.

"Lisbon," Jane said, smiling back. "Did you bring any muffins?"

**Hope you liked it!**


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